This ampilified soundbar is the BEST

“This amplified soundbar is the best I have ever owned.” I have a hard time hearing the voices in shows and movies on my tv. But, I didn’t want to loose the rest of the great sounds too. I bought this to make it easier. It has the best voice enhancement out of any, with several options. Plus, I don’t loose out on all of the other sounds that make shows and movies awesome. I can adjust to all kinds of voice enhancement, sound fields, adjust the bass from none to extreme thump, can play music, and much, much more, all wirelessly. I can even add surround sound back speakers if I want. Excellent product Sony. “Excellent!” Trust me when I say, “you will not regret buying this soundbar.” Regardless of hearing issues, wanting better sound, best for movies, best for apartment living (like me), etc., this soundbar delivers. I know. I have it. I dare you to try it.

Sync Problems

HTZ9F 22 February 2019 by Bill52 (USA)Verified Purchaser Verified

Bought xbr55x900f TV and Sony ht-z9f sound bar. The HDMI ARC function between TV and sound bar will not work. I have spent hours on this nothing works! Finally the sales person I bought the TV and sound bar from at Best Buy in Naples, Florida went way beyond resonable expectations and came to my house and put together a work around. The sound bar and TV now work together but still are not properly synced so that sound bar can be controlled by the TV remote. The amount of time I have spent on this is ridiculous. Sony and Best Buy should refund my money and take these defective products back. I purchased a 5 year service contract at Best Buy but they say this isn't covered. Defective products are not covered by Sony or Best Buy? Then what is covered?

36 Customer Reviews

Unbelievable Awesome Sound!!!

HTZ9F 17 May 2019 by Vegasmike60 (USA)Verified Purchaser Verified

This sound bar system is AMAZING!! It puts out sound that I thought only a professional sound system for a recording studio could put out. I could seriously blow out the windows with this! In addition, this compact and very sleek design looks fantastic and is a most welcome addition to my entertainment system. Sony, you have come up with an Amazing product that satisfies both my TV and You Tube sounds. THANK YOU!!!!

Sony Z9F

HT-Z9F 16 April 2019 by Oscarr09 (USA)

Does not have the Full Atmos experience, but does a great job virtually creating the experience and beats the heck out of many sound bars out there, the rears are a plus and definitely give it the true immersive sound. Id reccomend to anyone looking for a good theatre quality set up for decent sized rooms or living rooms.

Sounds Great!!

HTZ9F 31 March 2019 by Stats (USA)Verified Purchaser Verified

You can feel the sound. Excellent addition to our new 75 in Sony Bravia TV. I added the rear speakers but realize now, I didn't need to, the soundbar and the subwoofer alone, create the great movie theater sound experience.

Sync Problems

HTZ9F 22 February 2019 by Bill52 (USA)Verified Purchaser Verified

Bought xbr55x900f TV and Sony ht-z9f sound bar. The HDMI ARC function between TV and sound bar will not work. I have spent hours on this nothing works! Finally the sales person I bought the TV and sound bar from at Best Buy in Naples, Florida went way beyond resonable expectations and came to my house and put together a work around. The sound bar and TV now work together but still are not properly synced so that sound bar can be controlled by the TV remote. The amount of time I have spent on this is ridiculous. Sony and Best Buy should refund my money and take these defective products back. I purchased a 5 year service contract at Best Buy but they say this isn't covered. Defective products are not covered by Sony or Best Buy? Then what is covered?

Surprisingly easy to install and work CORRECTLY

We bought the HT=Z9F today after reading a number of reviews. We installed it. We prefer HDMI over Bluetooth as we have enough electrical waves in our house so we had to get an optical digital cable and an additional HDMI Cable, but it all works great. We checked it on regular TV, Blue Ray, Apple TV (News and a movie) and so far it works perfectly. We are not "audiophiles" but we like the improvement. Most of all, it was near painless to hook up and get working CORRECTLY with our Sony KDL-52V5100 TV and Sony Blue Ray UBP8X00! We paid $649 for it.

Perfect For Some, Great for Most, Headache for Few

I bought this Soundbar to compliment our z9f tv and I must admit, I was pretty frustrated with it at first. The sound from the soundbar kept cutting out and even the bass from the subwoofer would cut out at times. I informed Sony of these issues and about a month and a half later they sent me a replacement. This was only after a Sony represtative and I exhausted every possible fix for the soundbar. Right now it works like a charm and is perfect for the apartment my wife and I live in. I should note that it’s possible the early issues could have been due to the hdmi cables used to connect my devices. I bought the belkin ultra fast speed hdmi around the same time I received my second soundbar so I could enjoy the Dolby vision/atmos media I was trying to watch before. As of today (2 months after arrival of replacement soundbar) I am super happy with this product. The reason I didn’t give 5 stars is because of the early frustrations.

Amazing Sound Bar

HTZ9F 14 January 2019 by Chevyman (USA)Verified Purchaser Verified

I purchased this sound bar about a month ago. The sound is amazing. Install was a breeze. I only have one issue. I purchased the wireless rear speakers (SAZ9R) with the sound bar. Every once and awhile the sub and rear speakers cut out. This is very discouraging specially in the middle of watching a movie. I reached out to Sony and they helped me do a reset. It helped out temporally and then started doing it again. It sucks that I have to turn unit off and sometimes unplug for it to work correctly. Besides this issue the sound bar is awesome. I just hope that Sony may come up with a solution to fix the connection error with an update.

More like 5.1 with no Dolby Atmos.

HT-Z9F 24 November 2018 by Atmos fanatic (USA)

Bought this unit over the more expensive 5000 Atmos sound bar from Sony but did not realize this is just a 5.1 setup. I have the surround speakers and listen to plenty of Dolby Atmos and DTS X soundtracks but they are merely 5.1 with no immersion of heights at all. Even with the Vertical Engine on this is disappointing and should not even have the Atmos name on it since there is no height channels and only 3 channels up front. Should have bought the more expensive 5000 for the height channels but there are no surround speakers for that unit. If you are looking for a good 5.1 set up and this is it (but awfully expensive for just 5.1) but if you want Atmos or DTSX surround then look elsewhere. 3.1 and Atmos should not even be spoken in the same description. Thanks for over hype Sony. No give us a REAL Atmos and DTS X soundbar!!

Everything Sony

HT-Z9F 17 September 2018 by yads2k11 (USA)

Had mine for a few months now, it's awesome only missing 1 key feature-- "night mode" need a schedule on and off switch. I don't like the sw on at night so I wish it can go on and off on its own, otherwise this thing is great.

This ampilified soundbar is the BEST

“This amplified soundbar is the best I have ever owned.” I have a hard time hearing the voices in shows and movies on my tv. But, I didn’t want to loose the rest of the great sounds too. I bought this to make it easier. It has the best voice enhancement out of any, with several options. Plus, I don’t loose out on all of the other sounds that make shows and movies awesome. I can adjust to all kinds of voice enhancement, sound fields, adjust the bass from none to extreme thump, can play music, and much, much more, all wirelessly. I can even add surround sound back speakers if I want. Excellent product Sony. “Excellent!” Trust me when I say, “you will not regret buying this soundbar.” Regardless of hearing issues, wanting better sound, best for movies, best for apartment living (like me), etc., this soundbar delivers. I know. I have it. I dare you to try it.

It is ok, servces the purpose but could be better

HTZ9F 23 August 2018 by Kherrm (USA)Verified Purchaser Verified

Purchased a couple months ago to upgrade from a Dennon sound bar with wireless sub. It is ok but think it could sound better for the price. I have it attached to a Sony 65" Smart tv. Sound is good but not spectacular. Have an old Klipsch unit with another tv that appears to have better sound depth.

Great sound but...

HT-Z9F 24 July 2018 by Tvandmusicsametime (USA)

I purchase this an a Sony xbr55x900f Sony 4k tv. Everything fairly easy to set up. Sounds great. No problems in that area. Very satisfied overall.
If there is one thing I would like to see added is the ability to watch tv (with the sound turned down) and listen to music via bluetooth. Also listen to music while playing video games (with the sound tunes down). Have tried every possible combination of hookup and cannot seem to make this happen.

Real Review! Best High Definition Sound Bar

HTZ9F 17 July 2018 by BrZ1982 (USA)Verified Purchaser Verified

First off, almost all of the reviews I've read, describe Sony's branded discription. You can change the wording, but it's still the same sentence. This really bothers me!!
With that said, I'm going to be the first to give a real user review from someone who is very familiar with high-definition 24-bit sound and Dolby Atmos. I have owned it all.
Whether you own a Sony TV or not, the number one reason to buy this Soundbar is the Virtual Sound Engine. When this feature is enabled, by pressing the Vertical-S button, all audio signals are upscale to 7.1 virtual surround. To me it sounds like the audio is firing from every direction. Without this option the audio fires directly at you. Something I'm sure we're all used to.
I bought this Soundbar to play 24 bit or greater audio, whether it be TV, movies or music. I was ready for the next big step in audio development.
The Sony HT-Z9F is the best sounding Soundbar I have ever owned. I've had sound bars from JBL, Samsung, Klipsch and LG.
The htz9f is the first Soundbar that sounds like a REAL sound system. The Z9F has true 3.1 sound, equivalent to any independently powered left, right and Center Channel setup. This is thanks to Sonys S-Master HX amplifier which allows each speaker to act independently in true 3.1 fashion. This is something completely revolutionary and new to Soundbars in general.
As I'm sure everyone wants to know, the subwoofer is excellent. Installation was as simple as plugging in the power source and turning the system on. The subwoofer has incredibly impressive bass tones which hit the very lowest of decibels. Playing rap music with very deep bass was not an issue at full volume. I also positioned my subwoofer behind my couch. The bass is Amplified correctly throughout the entire room.
Thanks again to the Sony rep that just happened to be in the store when I made the purchase. I really appreciate the extra discount!
If you're using a Sony TV, make sure to go into your advanced audio settings and select compressed audio as well as Auto 2 for compressed multi-channel audio.

Real Review! Best High Definition Sound Bar

HT-Z9F 17 July 2018 by BZupancic (USA)

First off, almost all of the reviews I've read, describe Sony's branded discription. You can change the wording, but it's still the same sentence. This really bothers me!!
With that said, I'm going to be the first to give a real user review from someone who is very familiar with high-definition 24-bit sound and Dolby Atmos. I have owned it all.
Whether you own a Sony TV or not, the number one reason to buy this Soundbar is the Virtual Sound Engine. When this feature is enabled, by pressing the Vertical-S button, all audio signals are upscale to 7.1 virtual surround. To me it sounds like the audio is firing from every direction. Without this option the audio fires directly at you. Something I'm sure we're all used to.
I bought this Soundbar to play 24 bit or greater audio, whether it be TV, movies or music. I was ready for the next big step in audio development.
The Sony HT-Z9F is the best sounding Soundbar I have ever owned. I've had sound bars from JBL, Samsung, Klipsch and LG.
The htz9f is the first Soundbar that sounds like a REAL sound system. The Z9F has true 3.1 sound, equivalent to any independently powered left, right and Center Channel setup. This is thanks to Sonys S-Master HX amplifier which allows each speaker to act independently in true 3.1 fashion. This is something completely revolutionary and new to Soundbars in general.
As I'm sure everyone wants to know, the subwoofer is excellent. Installation was as simple as plugging in the power source and turning the system on. The subwoofer has incredibly impressive bass tones which hit the very lowest of decibels. Playing rap music with very deep bass was not an issue at full volume. I also positioned my subwoofer behind my couch. The bass is Amplified correctly throughout the entire room.
Thanks again to the Sony rep that just happened to be in the store when I made the purchase. I really appreciate the extra discount!
If you're using a Sony TV, make sure to go into your advanced audio settings and select compressed audio as well as Auto 2 for compressed multi-channel audio.

The sound keeps cutting out in random intervals.

HTZ9F 10 July 2018 by sal1981 (USA)Verified Purchaser Verified

I bought this less then a month ago and the sound keeps cutting out on me randomly. I wish some would get a hold of me to fix this. I don't know who to contact. Other then that it is a great product when it is working. I would like to give it more stars if this issue could be fixed.

Great small package with diverse capabilities

HT-Z9F 12 June 2018 by Ben50 (USA)

I am music and sound affectionate and I have been fortunate to have decent systems through my life.
Lately I was looking to a sound bar to replace my old Sony HT CT260 and at the same time get an upgrade with the budget stablished at 1K.
After researching several sound bars in that price range and reading reviews and manuals, yes someone read manuals even not owning the product, I decided to do sound test with my top choices: Denon Home cinema Heos HS 2 and Sony HT-Z9F.
On paper Sony had all the features I am looking for; Wi-Fi connectivity, all Dolby protocols including Dolby Atmos, High resolution music capabilities and a center channel.
Listing closely they were a similar for my ears. I choose Sony because I have a TV Sony and the fact that it has Dolby Atmos, a dedicated amplified center channel and High resolution music upscaling software.
It also helps knowing that I will be able to acquire the wireless rear speakers in the future moving to a real 5.1 setup.
The sound produced by this sound bar is incredible on definition, texture and different frequencies and it is as loud as the total 400 watts.
The sub-woofer has not only strong sonic abilities with its deep bass but has the tightness and definition expected on upscale systems. It also integrates it sound seamlessly to the bar giving a much unified experience regardless you are watching movies or listening to music.
In relation to the music, they are some important points in order to adjust the experience to your sound signature preferences:
a) In order to use the High Resolution upscaling capability (DSEE HX) you have to use the advanced set up correctly and it will work only when Music or Auto Sound is selected. Actually, for some low quality (kpbs) MP3 files the sound will be somehow harsh and on this case you must turn this off. First of all it is very strange for me, that someone buys a High resolution capable system and use the lowest quality MP3s to play in this system. For more details refer to page 52 on the manual.
b) The tone adjustment; old fashion bass and treble, it is in this system called “Level”, and contradicts some reviews where it is claimed impossible to adjust highs and lows in the system. You need to access advanced settings, then speaker and select level. You will be able to increase or decrease the output by 6dB in 0.5 increments like any other equalizer. The front speaker adjustment will change the treble response and the subwoofer the bass response.
c) In order to get the best musical performances you have to turn DRC off. It compress the dynamic range making the music sound flat.
Overall after adjusting this system I was able to experience a sound quality that I did not expected from such small speaker’s drivers in such elegant design. I strongly recommend this sound bar!

ARC kills Smart functions..

HT-Z9F 14 May 2018 by leezor (USA)

I bought this last week w/ the rear speakers, and it works great when going through a HDMI input, but while connected to via the ARC HDMI ports of the bar and my tv (sony 75x940e), my Netflix and apps don't output through the rear speakers.. switching to hdmi 1, my time warner set top box, the rears works.. i've tried everything.. getting very annoyed..

HT-Z9F 3.1 Dolby Atmos Soundbar

HTZ9F 02 May 2018 by Rkirt (USA)Verified Purchaser Verified

I wanted a sound system that was capable of pass through the latest video signals. I also wanted Dolby Atmos reproduction. My viewing area is not suitable for signal reflection. The room is open on one end, has a fireplace with windows and shutters surrounding it on the other end. The wall opposite the TV has a bank of windows with shutters. The ceiling is vaulted with a large fan. In other words, no flat uniform surfaces.
The specifications of the Sony HT-Z9F sounded great for my purposes.
As soon as they became available I bought one. At first I wasn't too impressed. The sound did not seem like it was coming from all directions like in a theater. Then I configured my DVD player to output a bitstream signal. The soundbar came alive. Closing my eyes and listening to a movie with Dolby Atmos did seem like I was sitting in a theater. Left and right separation was clear. The sound from the movie followed the scenes left and right AND up and down.
After hearing how good the 3.1 system was, I purchased the rear surrounds-SA-Z9R. They are a must have for this system. They are wireless except for the power cords. This system is a hoot. Simple, tidy, up to date, and boy does it fill the room with clear, crisp sound coming from small speakers. Movies are so much fun to watch with the added sound effects of Dolby Atmos with this system.

Very Satisfied!

HTZ9F 25 April 2018 by Chas1030 (USA)Verified Purchaser Verified

I purchased the HT-Z9F last week and added the rear speakers several days later.
The sub, and later the rear speakers, connected instantaneously without a hitch. However, the system required some tweaking before I heard the sound I was hoping to hear.
I had to activate Bravia Sync on my XBR-43X800D. Then I got out my tape measure and SPL meter and set distances and levels in the Advanced Settings.
Non-audio settings required adjustment as well. The IR Repeater is off by default and the HDMI video signal needed to be set to Enhanced.
The audio with the Vertical Engine off is a little tinny and not particularly satisfying. However, with the Vertical Engine on, the HT-Z9F really shines. After trying Atmos UHD movies, Apple TV 4K {5.1 LPCM but no Atmos), and music via Bluetooth and ChromeCast, I left Vertical Engine on for everything.
The soundstage is wide and high. The included demo material showcases the height effects but Atmos 4K movie effects sound richer and higher in the front rather than anything directly overhead. The bass is plenty powerful. You can tweak as you wish easily via the remote. The soundbar alone is very good and can fill a small room but the rear speakers definitely improve the experience. And it can get LOUD…
I have the HT-Z9F plus rear speakers in my small to medium sized office and they completely fill the room with excellent sound that has exceeded my expectations. My wife, an AV Luddite, even said “Wow! Impressive!”

Nice sound

HT-Z9F 23 April 2018 by Jay1234 (USA)

Packing was very neat and easy to take out of the box. Setup was very straightforward and you really don't even need the instructions. The subwoofer paired instantly as soon as it was plugged in. Compared to more entry level soundbars, it will take you a while to check all the settings available and adjust them (speaker distance, enhanced HDMI, voice control, and so on). While I can't say I notice a definitive Atmos effect, the sound field does seem remarkably wide for a bar with 3 tiny speakers in it. I didn't buy the separate rear speaker package but may do that to improve the sound even further.

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Footnotes

1Actual color and dimension may differ from the screen image.

2Colors & features of the product shown may differ by model and country.

34K: 3,840 x 2,160 pixels.

4Services availability depends on region. A part or whole of software/services installed into or accessible through the product may be changed, discontinued, removed, suspended, or terminated without notice.

5Features and specifications are subject to change without prior notice.